The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan allege that Dr. Josias Furstenberg "committed acts of sexual impropriety or sexual violation" by engaging in sexual activity, including sexual intercourse, with five patients.

A Saskatchewan physician faces multiple charges of unprofessional conduct for actions that allegedly include having sex with five patients, attempting to kiss a patient who was also a tenant at his rental property and sending photos of patients to someone.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan (CPSS) last week laid 11 charges against Dr. Josias Furstenberg, who previously worked at Prince Albert’s Victoria Square Medical Centre. The charges have not been proven. If Furstenberg denies some or all of the allegations, he will be asked to appear before a disciplinary committee.

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The documents published by the CPSS allege Furstenberg “committed acts of sexual impropriety or sexual violation” by engaging in sexual activity, including sexual intercourse, with five patients. This was said to have happened with one patient in 2016. The dates for the other four patients were not specified.

Furstenberg is charged with having “failed to maintain the standards of practice of the profession” in his treatment of one of the patients he is alleged to have had sex with because he allegedly prescribed large quantities of opioids to the patient without having taken appropriate steps to have dealt with the patient’s drug dependency and/or addiction.

Furstenberg is also charged with the following:

Acting in a way deemed “unbecoming, improper, unprofessional or discreditable” for attempting to kiss a female patient, who was also a tenant in a rental property owned by Furstenberg, when the patient came to Furstenberg’s home to pay rent.

Allegedly emailing a person in January 2016 about a patient. Email exchanges included the fact that the patient “was a total bitch” and was “drug seeking again.”

Allegedly accessing a person’s personal health information through the Saskatchewan eHealth computer program between February and June 2017 without the person’s permission and without a legitimate need to know the information

Allegedly sending that person photos of patients. “Some or all of the photographs were images of patients receiving infusions,” the CPSS documents said. “You sent the photograph or photographs without the expressed or implied consent of the persons depicted in the photographs.”

If Furstenberg is found guilty of some or all of the charges against him, the CPSS has the power to suspend him from practising medicine, revoke his licence, reprimand him, fine him up to $15,000 and/or require him to complete additional training.

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